


constellations

by willannanan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Polyamory, Voltron Rewrite, no beta we die like men, there will be descriptions of panic attacks but I'll add warnings in the chapter notes for those
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28526781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willannanan/pseuds/willannanan
Summary: (on hiatus)Voltron rewrite (basically an OC insert for the first couple of seasons)rated teen and up for depictions of violence and swearingtitle is just a place holder until I think of something better :)*****No fucking way. This could not be happening.A giant ship hovered above them, looking jagged and sharp but in a sleek, deliberately intimidating way that somehow made it worse. The cold feeling in Finn’s stomach had completely frozen over into solid fear, his hands visibly trembling.
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro & Original Character(s), Keith (Voltron)/Original Male Character(s), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance/Original Character, Keith/Lance/Original male character, Lance (Voltron)/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. This is not happening right now

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Just a brief warning, there is swearing in this so if that makes you uncomfortable then don't read. It's not excessive but yeah. There'll be a longer note at the end of the chapter :)

Finnigan huffed, trying to move a stubborn piece of hair that was in his way, the wavy pale pink strands dangling in front of his eyes irritatingly. Unfortunately, his helmet had caught the strands and they were well and truly stuck, making Finn sigh in frustration and cross his arms. He glanced around himself at his crewmates instead, hoping for a distraction; Matthew and Samuel Holt were collecting ice samples, looking probably the most excited Finn had ever seen them, while Shiro watched on. As much as Shiro suggested otherwise through the teasing, there was no mistaking the fond look on his face.

Samuel’s hands twitched as Matt inspected a sample, the older man no doubt itching to do it himself just to be assured that the ice would remain intact. “Easy, son. This ice is delicate.”

“Amazing.” Matt’s eyes were wide, practically gleaming with the power of science. Finn snorted to himself at the thought of Matt being a science-based superhero, the idea somehow both terrifying and amusing. “Isn’t this exciting, Shiro?”

Finn grinned and shook his head. He’d never understand these dorks and their love of science.

“You guys get a little more excited about ice samples than I do.” Shiro chuckled, an easy-going smile settling on his face.

Finnigan gently punched Matt’s shoulder, being careful not to disturb the ice and incur the combined wrath of the Holts. He quite liked being alive at the moment. “That’s because they’re nerds!” He spoke with a warm fondness in his voice that betrayed how he really felt about his team. He and Shiro were quite similar in those ways, happy to tease those they cared about.

Samuel Holt’s eyes lit up in much the same way as his son’s had a moment earlier, his hands beginning to gesture animatedly. “This is history in the making. Not only have we travelled further than any human ever has, but this ice could hold microscopic clues about the existence of life outside Earth.”

The pink-haired boy opened his mouth to speak but Matt beat him to it, the dork bouncing on the balls of his feet at the thought of aliens. Finn rolled his eyes playfully and smiled, glad to see his teammate so excited.

“Think of it, Dad. We could use those clues to become the first people to meet aliens!”  
Samuel’s eyes took on a far-away look, the smile never leaving the older man’s face. “My life’s work would be complete.”

Before anyone could say anything else the earth around them shifted slightly, sending everyone stumbling. A deep rumble echoed through the ground, the sound low and sparking concern in the members of the Kerberos mission. An unsettled frown rested on each of their faces. Shiro and Finn locked eyes over the heads of the Holts, a shared look of worry being passed between them.

“What is that? Seismic activity?” Samuel had grabbed hold of his son amid the mini earthquake, both of them stabilising each other.

“We should get back to the ship,” Shiro said, a note of stress and panic in his normally calm voice. If Finn wasn’t worried before he definitely would be now. He hadn’t seen Shiro this stressed in a long time and their trip out to Kerberos wasn’t exactly pleasant. Finn nodded at Shiro and the others in agreement, all of them simultaneously beginning to move in the direction of their ship.

Finnigan shivered, the feeling of ghostly legs tickling up his spine a physical manifestation of his discomfort. A cold feeling pooled in his gut, freezing and unpleasant like a barely moving river in winter. His hand was on Matt’s arm, and while he wasn’t sure how it had got there, he was grateful for the small amount of comfort the touch provided. Matt seemed to think the same as he reached up and squeezed Finn’s forearm reassuringly.

They were moving relatively quickly but froze when a dark shadow fell over the group, causing them all to turn in tandem. Maybe they should become synchronised swimmers or something, they seemed to move at the same time fairly often without realising it. Finn shook his head, this wasn’t the time, he needed to focus. He looked up towards the source of the shadow and gasped.

No fucking way. This could not be happening.

A giant ship hovered above them, looking jagged and sharp but in a sleek, deliberately intimidating way that somehow made it worse. The cold feeling in Finn’s stomach had completely frozen over into solid fear, his hands visibly trembling.

It seemed Samuel felt the same frozen fear as he stammered, the words barely making it past his lips, “Wha–? What is that? It can’t be…” His voice trailed off in a whisper, the words lost amid the panic of the moment.

Beside him, Shiro forcefully shook his head, his eyes hardening into the determined look that they often held. “Run! Come on, run!”

Shiro’s words seemed to break the frozen moment, everyone shaking out of the stilled fear and beginning to move. Finnigan still had hold of Matt’s arm and dragged him along behind him as he started to run. Matt stumbled a little before he settled into a rhythm and Shiro and Samuel followed close behind.

They may as well have not bothered.

One moment they were running and the next they were suspended in mid-air. No, not suspended. They were rising, being sucked up into the mystery ship like a cow on one of those goofy early morning cartoons Finn used to watch as a kid. The hole below them closed with barely a mechanical whir and they dropped to the floor of the ship in a heap. Finn barely had time to sit up and look around before pain cracked across the back of his head and he slumped over, unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first fic like ever so please leave constructive criticism!
> 
> next chapter should be up soon, i just have to look over my grammar and stuff :)


	2. Cliff jumping shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right. so. this chapter has been bugging me for a couple weeks so i rewrote it. hopefully it's better now? i'll upload the updated chapter 3 in a sec and get chapter 4 out too :)

Finn groaned as he came to, cold metal seeping into his back. He tried to tug backwards reflexively as his hands began to tremble. The metal of his left hand clinked against the table he was on. Oh God, he couldn’t be– fuck, the witch had him again– no, no, no, no–

“Hey! What are you doing?”

…was that Shiro? No, that couldn’t be right, they never tortured him and Shiro in the same room, they found it more entertaining to watch the horror on their faces when they got back to their cell.

“Calm down, Shiro.” Commander Iverson? What on Earth…? Finn peeled his eyes open, feeling as if they were weighed down with lead, and glanced about. The lighting in the room was bright, flickering white, definitely not Galra. They would never employ shitty fluorescent Garrison lights.

Oh.

Finn turned his head to the side to see Shiro strapped down on an examination table. That must be what he was tied to as well. Why did every civilisation seem to have the same cold metal examination tables? Finn surveyed the room, there was only one exit directly in front of Shiro, a bunch of medical tools lay on a counter nearby, hmm. No one else was in the room with them apart from Iverson, but Finn had a suspicion that others were waiting outside. Speaking of Iverson, he was looming over Shiro, looking as annoyed as ever. His head snapped towards Finn without warning, making the pink haired boy startle and flinch backwards, his hands tugging painfully against the restraints.

“Good, you’re awake too. You both need to calm down. We just need to keep you quarantined until we run some tests on you.”

The mention of tests made Finn’s blood run cold, having been the subject of many ‘tests’ before. Shiro seemed to feel the same as he pulled against his restraints, a frantic look in his eyes.

“Iverson, no!” Finn began, voice scratchy and raw. He must’ve inhaled smoke during their crash. “There are–aliens are coming! We need to do something, anything–” He cut off, coughing.

Luckily Shiro picked up where he left off.

“You have to listen to us! They destroyed worlds! Aliens are coming!”

Iverson let out a long-suffering sigh, the sound the most familiar thing Finn had experienced since he’d woken up.

“Do either of you know how long you’ve been gone?”

Shiro paused and Finn could see the hesitance on his face.

“We didn’t exactly have clocks while we were prisoners you know?”

Iverson glared at him and Finn shrank back, his heart racing. Maybe he shouldn’t have done that.

“I don’t know. Months? Years?” Shiro shook his head. “Look, there’s no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They’re probably on their way. They’ll destroy us! We have to find Voltron!”

“Please Iverson! You have to listen to us, this is important! Everyone’s lives are in danger!”

Finn heard something shift and glanced towards the doorway, his shoulders tensed and hands curled into fists. Not that he’d be able to do anything, he was tied down to the table. A technician walked into the room they were in, murmuring something into Iverson’s ear. The Commander ran a hand down his face and huffed out a breath. “Put them under until we know what they can do.”

Finn pulled against his restraints frantically, Shiro doing the exact same.

“Don’t, don’t put me under! No! No, there’s no time! Let me go!”

Shiro was promptly sedated and grew quiet as he slipped into unconsciousness. The technician made his way over to Finn, a needle grasped in his hand.

“No!” Finn nearly tipped his table over with how hard he was trying to move away from the slowly approaching technician. “No! Get away from me! Don’t put me under, I can’t– not again– please don’t!”

He couldn’t move away fast enough and the needle pierced his arm. The fight drained out of him as his movements slowed and a hazy darkness took over his vision.

///

The faint sound of bickering roused Finn into some semblance of awareness. What was going on? What happened….

Fuck.

He sat up as fast as he could when he remembered being sedated. Was Shiro okay? Where were they? Where was Shiro?

His heart was racing and his chest felt tight, weighed down. He didn’t recognise the room he was in – it looked like a normal bedroom which made him even more panicked, the last time he saw something like this was with the druids – where was he? He gasped and curled in on himself, gripping his hair in his hands and tugging to remind himself this was real, that it wasn’t a hallucination from _them_. He tired to pull in a full breath but couldn’t, the air getting stuck and caught in his throat. No, no, no, he couldn’t panic now, he needed to find Shiro, needed to calm down, calm down, just calm down–

“Finn,” a voice said, gentle and calming. Someone sat down next to him and slowly pulled him into their side so that his cheek was against their shoulder. Finn flinched at the action, tried to push himself away with shaky arms but he couldn’t– “It’s okay, it’s me, it’s Shiro.”

Shiro?

“Come on, Finn, breathe. Follow my breathing okay?”

He could feel his hands being gently pried from his hair, the grounding pain taken away and replaced with Shiro’s presence. Finn curled up more and pressed his forehead to Shiro’s shoulder, letting out a shaky breath. They spent the next couple of minutes in relative silence, Finn slowly starting to breath properly as he followed the exaggerated inhales and exhales coming from the older man. When he felt like he could breathe again Finn pulled back, wiping at the leftover tears on his face. When had he started crying?

“That’s it Finn, you’re okay, we’re okay.” Shiro smiled at him but he could still see the concerned look in his eyes. “You with me?”

Finn nodded and cleared his throat. “Thank you. Where, uh… where are we?” He didn’t recognise the room they were in and was still on edge.

“Well, we’re in Keith’s house right now.”

Finn raised an eyebrow. “Keith ‘basically your brother’ Keith?”

“Yeah.” Shiro rubbed the back of his neck and smiled slightly. “A group of Garrison kids kind of broke us out of the there.”

“Oh. Huh, good on them.”

That startled a laugh out of Shiro and the sound put Finn more at ease, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

“Keith left a bunch of clothes out for you so when you’re ready get changed and come join us,” Shiro said, standing up and leaving the room. Finn got out of the bed he was in, pulling on the clothes left on the end of the bed. Surprisingly, the black jeans and white t-shirt fit pretty well considering. Finn tugged the purple hoodie on, leaving it unzipped, and sighed at the warmth. Tears pricked his eyes and he laughed quietly to himself. Look at him, crying over being able to wear real clothes again. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, pulling himself together, and walked out of the room he was in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments are appreciated! I hope you're having a lovely day/week :)


	3. Conspiracy boards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the updated version of chapter 3 :)

Keith’s house in the desert was surprisingly homey, if a little bare. Belongings seemed to be scattered practically everywhere; there were boxes piled in corners, paper strewn across the battered coffee table, and bookshelves piled high with textbooks and fiction alike. Much like everything else in the house, the walls were showing some wear and tear, cracked and messily patched together in places. It suited what he'd heard of Keith and somehow Finn felt far more welcomed here in a strangers house than he ever did in his own home.

Finnigan lingered in the doorway for a moment, watching three people around his age laugh about something. Shiro and Keith were outside talking and Finn felt kind of awkward. He didn’t know these people. Well, there was only one way to change that. Finnigan took a deep breath and made his way over to the trio.

“Hi,” Finn stuck his hand - the human one, not the Galra prosthetic - out for a handshake, “I just wanted to thank you guys for helping me out back there and introduce myself properly. I’m Finn, you are…?”

The shortest person, who looked so much like Matt that it made Finn’s chest ache, pushed his glasses up, ignoring Finn’s outstretched hand. “I’m Pidge.”

Large warm hands encased Finn’s and he turned to see a tall tanned boy smiling brightly. “I’m Hunk, resident food enthusiast,” he said with a grin.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Finn smiled and turned to the third person and wow. Those eyes, cheekbones, lips, eyelashes. Woah, just woah.

“Hi! Do you have a name?” How the fuck was his voice so pretty too?

Finn paused. Don’t fuck this up.

“I’m, uh. I’m gay.”

Good job, idiot.

Finn blinked in surprise at his traitorous mouth, his face steadily getting redder and redder.

“I mean– that’s not– well, yeah but–“ He could hear Pidge and Hunk laughing behind him and the boy stood in front of him was smiling, eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Hi, Gay,” the boy said playfully, chuckling to himself. If the floor could swallow Finn whole now that would be great. Please. “I’m honoured. Do you have a first name?”

“It’s Finn. But Disaster works just as well.”

“Well, Finn Disaster Gay, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Lance.”

Wonderfully, Shiro chose that moment to walk through the door, saving Finn from trying to awkwardly save the situation by talking and making it worse. It was a curse, honestly. He could talk himself into a ditch if he was left to his own devices. Behind the tall man, another boy walked through. Finn caught himself staring again, the boy had the prettiest eyes, and mentally slapped himself. Get a grip, come on.

“What have you been working on?” Shiro murmured, everyone standing up to look at a… conspiracy board? Aww that’s cute. Finn looked closer. And surprisingly well researched, wow.

“I can’t explain it, really. After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kinda… lost…” the boy, Keith he was guessing, didn’t sound upset but his eyes glistened slightly and Finn felt his heart ache at the sight.

“…and felt myself drawn out to this place. It’s like something, some energy, was telling me to search,” Keith explained, shuffling slightly on the spot as everyone stared at him.

“For what?” Shiro prompted.

“Well, I didn’t really know at the time… until I stumbled across this area. It’s an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night.”

Shiro took a deep breath, considering Keith’s words, and turned to the others, smiling. “I should thank you all for getting me out.” Shiro went around the group, everyone introducing themselves.

“So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?” Pidge asked. Finn was sure he meant it innocently but he still caught himself flinching. Beside him, Shiro’s hand trembled – the movement was so slight that Finn wouldn’t be surprised if no one else had noticed it – before he stilled it against his leg.

“I’m not sure. I remember the mission and being captured. After that, it’s just bits and pieces.”

Finn nodded. “We were separated from the other prisoners early on, I’m sorry.” He wasn’t about to mention that he wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t from his time there, the memories and druid-induced hallucinations blending together.

“Yeah, sorry to interrupt but back to the aliens. Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for all of us? Like where are they at this very moment?” Hunk looked nervous, and honestly, who could blame the guy?

“I can’t really put it together. I-I remember the word ‘Voltron’. It’s some kind of weapon they’re looking for, but I don’t know why. Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do.”

Finn ran a hand through his hair, the pink strands falling across his forehead again stubbornly. “Yeah, that would be a good idea.”

Hunk spoke up, “Well last night, I was rummaging through Pidge’s stuff, and I found this picture. Look it’s his girlfriend.”

Hunk held up a picture that looked more like Matt than Pidge did. Could that be..? Finn glanced at Shiro, seeing the same confused look on his face.

Pidge snatched it out of Hunk’s hand before anyone could get a closer look.

“Hey, gimme that! What were you doing in my stuff?”

“I was looking for a candy bar,” Hunk replied nonchalantly. “But then, I started reading his diary.”

Pidge looked beyond horrified. “WHAT?”

Hunk carried on as if nothing had happened. “And I noticed that the repeating series of numbers the aliens are searching for looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line.”

“Frown…who?” Keith asked at the same time as Finn said, “A what now?”

Finn’s eyes met Keith’s, both of them amused, though Keith showed it less.

Hunk looked kind of excited to explain it and Finn tried to pay attention, he really did. But the science just kind of flew over his head. He’d never been good at that stuff anyway, his flight skills were literally the only reason he’d gotten through school. Well, technically he hadn’t finished his education at the Garrison – he was only 18 – but due to the whole being presumed dead thing… Yeah. 

Finn shook himself out of his thoughts and saw Keith lifting a sheet of paper – was that the Fraunhofer line thing? Huh, neat – over a picture of a mountain range. They lined up nearly perfectly.

“I guess we’re going exploring then?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! kudos are appreciated :)


	4. What on Earth is that?

The walk through the desert wasn’t that bad but Finn still hated it. He definitely hadn’t missed this part of Earth, it was hot and gross and there was sand everywhere. Okay, those things seemed like a given but that didn’t mean he couldn’t complain about it.

Part way through their trek, Finn ended up walking next to his crewmember. Or former crewmember, he guessed. Was the Kerberos mission still a thing? They’d never completed it but had the Garrison declared it as a failed mission? Hmm that was something to think about another time.

Finn glanced at Shiro, slightly concerned. It wasn’t really visible to anyone else but after spending months in space with him, Finn could see the tiredness that hung over the man.

“Hey Finn, how are you doing?”

The pink haired boy shrugged with a small smile. “Probably the same as you I imagine.”

Shiro sighed and nodded, running a hand through his hair. “…I don’t remember anything, do you..?” He trailed off, as if he was afraid of even mentioning what they went through.

Finn shrugged in response. “I do, but… I’m not sure how much of it is real. It’s all kind of jumbled together.” He glanced over to see a frown on Shiro’s face and nudged his arm gently. “I’m sure we’ll both remember it properly, don’t worry.”

The taller man nodded but frowned. “I’m not sure which is better to be honest.”

Finn shrugged, he had no idea either, and Shiro let out a sigh. They both stayed walking together for the rest of the trip, Finn making sure he was close enough that his arm would brush against Shiro’s every so often. It was more to comfort himself but he knew Shiro appreciated the contact too.

Before they knew it, they had made it to the cave Keith was talking about. Finn walked up to the opening with Lance who took one look at it and shivered.

“…Okay. I admit it. This is super freaky.” He mumbled and Finn nodded.

“Yeah, no kidding.”

They all made their way inside and Finn ran his fingers over the cave walls, tracing the strange carvings there.

“Boo!” Lance grabbed his shoulders and Finn flinched, letting out a quiet squeak. The tanned boy doubled over laughing and Finn glared, lightly shoving him. Apparently he shoved harder than he meant to though because Lance stumbled and reached out to steady himself.

As soon as his palm touched the cave wall a faint blue glow spread through each of the carvings, lighting up the area around them. Finn turned back to Lance to see the boy staring at his hand in wonder.

“Woah…” The boy muttered and Finn stifled a laugh. Seriously, how could someone be so cute?

“Huh. They’ve never done that before,” Keith said, wonder in his voice.

A faint rumble filled the room but they had no time to react as the floor below them crumbled, dropping them all.

A loud splash echoed throughout the chamber they landed in and Finn wrinkled his nose and grimaced. He’d landed in a puddle, soaking his clothes in cold cave water. Ugh, gross. Someone snorted next to him and he glanced up to see Keith holding his hand out to help him up. Finn stuck his tongue out but accepted the silent offer anyway, letting Keith pull him to his feet.

“They _are_ everywhere,” Lance murmured as he stared at the numerous symbols covering the walls of the new cave they were in, his hand lightly tracing part of the stone.

“Is this it? Is this the Voltron?” Pidge asked, wonder in his voice. It was almost identical to the way Matt would’ve responded to this situation. His chest ached and he immediately shook himself out of his thoughts, this wasn’t the time or place to be thinking about Matt and Sam. What were the others doing? He glanced at Keith next to him, only to see him staring at something, his eyes wide. Finn followed his gaze and gasped.

Well, that was unexpected.

At the end of the cave sat a giant blue robot lion. From a pilots stand-point it was super pretty and interesting, he immediately wanted to know how well it could fly – assuming it was a ship, of course. It looked kind of familiar though, he could’ve sworn someone had talked about giant flying robots before. That and something called Voltron… Was this it? How had it gotten there and where did it come from? No one made ships like this on Earth, not that Finn knew of anyway…

“It… must be.” Shiro sounded as lost as Finn felt, making him feel simultaneously better and worse about the situation. On the one hand, if Shiro was confused then he wasn’t just being dumb which was good. But if Shiro was confused then it must be bad, Shiro was hardly ever confused.

Something brushed past his arm and Finn startled, glancing over to see Keith moving past him and cautiously approaching the Blue Lion. “This is what’s been causing all this crazy energy out here,” the dark-haired boy said quietly, almost talking to himself.

The rest of the team followed behind slowly. It was kind of funny, watching a bunch of people approach a giant metal lion as if it were alive. Something seemed to brush against his mind as he thought that and he shivered. Nope, nope, nopity-nope. It was just the wind… Yep. The wind that was definitely down there in the cave with them. Uh huh, absolutely nothing weird going on at all. Although… he didn’t want to think about it but that feeling of something else being in his mind was scarily… familiar. Okay no, he was definitely not thinking about this right now. Instead Finn focused back on the task at hand.

On the off chance that the lion was alive and had caused that weird tingly feeling in his head, Finn also approached it slowly, coming to stand on one side of Keith while Lance stood on the other. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

Up close, the lion was even more impressive. The pieces seemed to fit together seamlessly, the craftsmanship immaculate, and the sleek metal shone even though it had probably been down there for years at that point.

“Looks like there’s a forcefield around it,” the pink haired boy muttered, still staring at the lion in awe. He was trying to find some kind of blemish on it, becoming more and more impressed when he couldn’t find one.

Keith hummed in agreement with him and out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw Lance frown and furrow his eyebrows slightly.

“Does anyone else get the feeling this is staring at them?”

Finn glanced at the rest of the team, everyone shaking their heads. Lance started dodging from side to side before he nodded to himself. “Yeah. The eyes are totally following me.”

“Well,” Finn started, “that’s reassuring. Do you think it’s haunted?” He was only half-joking, still freaked out by the weird feeling in his head from earlier. One look at Lance’s freaked out expression made Finn feel bad though.

From behind the tanned boy, Finn saw Hunk shake his head, visibly shivering. “I hope not, ghosts are scary man.”

Finn nodded in agreement. “Wise words.”

His words made Lance snort and he smiled to himself as the shorter boy lost his terrified expression, instead rolling his eyes with a small smile.

The pink haired boy turned back to the forcefield, watching as Keith lifted a hand up to the glowing shield without touching it. “I wonder how we get through this,” he wondered aloud.

“Maybe you just have to knock,” Lance said with a shrug, casually knocking on the forcefield.

It shimmered slightly when Lance knocked on it before powering down completely, the hexagonal panels dropping one by one. As they dropped they filled the cavern with a blue glow, the walls seeming to fade away as more and more forcefield panels dropped. That weird feeling was back in Finn’s head again and he blinked, watching as five lions flew in front of him, coming together in formation before a ray of light made him squint his eyes shut. When he opened them again a giant robot stood in place of the lions, adorned with lion heads practically everywhere. It was a little ridiculous but the commitment to a theme was applaudable. The image faded along with the seemingly other presence in his mind.

Finn blinked at the vaguely familiar feeling and winced as a faint headache settled in behind his eyes.

Around him, everyone let out gasps as they seemingly came to as well. That was a relief at least, he didn’t want to find out he had hallucinated all of that.

“Uh,” Lance looked a little dazed as he began talking, “did everyone just see that?”

Finnigan nodded, frowning and rubbing his forehead in the hopes that his headache would leave. “That was weird. Kinda cool, but weird.”

“Voltron is a robot!” Hunk exclaimed in equal parts panic and excitement, making Finn snort. “Voltron is a huge, awesome robot!”

Pidge nodded, jumping up and down excitedly. “And this is only one part of it! I wonder where the rest of them are.”

“This is what they’re looking for.” Shiro didn’t seem as excited as the rest, looking up at the lion and furrowing his brow.

Keith let out a breath, his lips curling into a small smile. “Incredible.”

At that, the Blue Lion dropped its head to the ground, making Finn flinch at the sudden action, and opened its mouth. Pidge and Hunk seemed to be shaken up by the action as well judging by the small shrieks they let out. Finn watched as Lance took a step forward, glancing back at the others as he did so.

“Oh no.” Finn said, already dreading where this was heading.

Lance winked at him and walked in, making Finn let out a groan.

“Please don’t tell me we’re all…” everyone walked past while he was talking, seemingly all on some wavelength that he wasn’t picking up on, “…going in there.” Finn sighed to himself, he’d only just gotten out of weird alien ships, now was not the time to be getting back in one. “We’re so gonna be eaten. Damnit.” He squared his shoulders and followed them in, the Lion’s head clanking shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always kudos are appreciated! next chapter should be out next week so until then have a lovely day/night/week! :)


	5. Not again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for flashbacks (i'm not sure if it needs to be a cw or tw, let me know if this is wrong!)

Finn was squished in between Keith and Shiro, not having anywhere else to stand. The Lion wasn’t big enough for more than four people to comfortably fit in at most and yet here the six of them where, trying not to fall over and knock into each other as Lance took off.

This was going to be a great trip, Finn could tell. Especially with the lingering fear from his panic earlier still kind of vaguely hovering over his skin like the thinnest of blankets, except the blanket is itchy and you don’t want it anymore but you’re being forced to wear it.

The Lion shuddered before launching from the ground, Lance yelling excitedly the entire time. As the floor shifted Finn lost his balance, letting out an involuntary squeak. He tipped to the side but something grabbed his shoulder and stabilised him. He looked to his left and saw Keith nod at him, holding him up while turning to yell at Lance.

“YOU ARE. THE WORST. PILOT. EVER.”

Lance ignored him, the Blue Lion running across the desert at a ridiculously high speed. It was both exhilarating and terrifying and Finn was glad Keith was still holding onto his shoulder, the simple action comforting.

“Isn’t this awesome?!” Lance yelled, face slightly flushed, eyes bright and wide with excitement.

Hunk didn’t seem to share Lance’s thoughts on the subject as his face took on a worrying green colour. “Make it stop! Make it stop!”

“I’m not making it do anything. It’s like it’s on autopilot!”

Well that was comforting. All their lives in the hands – paws? – of a giant robot lion. Great. The fear-blanket tightened around him slightly.

He was torn from his thoughts by another jolt, the Lion shooting up into the sky.

“Where are you going?!” Keith shouted, his grip on Finn’s shoulder tightening.

Lance huffed out an angry breath. “I just said it’s on autopilot! It says there’s an alien ship approaching Earth. I think we’re supposed to stop it.”

Purple hands and fur. Chains digging into his sore wrists. Dark, dark, it was so dark–

All of the colour drained from Finn’s face and he gasped at the images in his head, clutching at his hair with one hand. He missed the concerned look Keith shot him, but absently felt the hand on his shoulder squeeze gently before dropping to Keith’s side. Finn stared at a spot on the floor, willing himself not to freak out there and then. He could panic about this later, right now he needed to be present in case something happened.

“If this thing is the weapon they’re coming for, why don’t we just, like – I don’t know, give it to them? Maybe they’ll leave us alone.” The Lion shuddered around them and Hunk winced. “Sorry, Lion, nothing personal.”

Finn looked up when the Lion shuddered, glancing at Shiro who shook his head. “You don’t understand. These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy, destroying everything in their path.” Everyone got quiet while he was talking, the gravity of the situation weighing on them “There’s no bargaining with them.”

“They won’t stop until everything is dead,” Finn said quietly, avoiding the gaze of everyone else in the ship.

“…Oh. Never mind then.” Hunk said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

The Blue Lion left the Earth’s atmosphere, immediately coming face to face with a giant warship. The sleek metal surface glinted menacingly in the light of space, less jagged than Finn expected. Cannons lined the sides, barely peeking out from behind half-raised panels.

“Holy crow!” Lance shouted. “Is that really an alien ship?”

“They found us…” Finn looked over at his former crewmate, sure the same haunted gaze Shiro had is reflected in his own eyes. He reached out and tried to grab Shiro’s hand in his own, though it took a couple tries because both of their hands were shaking so much. Once he had Shiro’s hand gripped in his Finn squeezed it.

A high-pitched noise whizzed past the ship in the form of a beam of light. Oh God, they were firing. What were they supposed to do now? How could they fight against a giant alien warship? Did the Lion even have defences strong enough?!

“We’ve got to get out of here!” 

“Hang on!” Lance turned the Lion, miraculously dodging the onslaught of laser guns. “Ah! All right! Okay, I think I know what to do!”

“Be careful!” Pidge grabbed onto the back of Lance’s chair for stability, Finn could see his nails digging in from where he was standing. “This isn’t a simulator!”

“Well, that’s good. I always wreck the simulator.”

Finn’s heart pounded against his chest, breath catching in his throat. “Please tell me you’re joking!”

Lance ignored him – which was probably for the best honestly, Finn wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if Lance had answered – instead opting to rip into the side of the warship using the Lion’s claws. The sound of metal screeching and tearing made Finn’s teeth hurt but it was worth it when he saw the warship list slightly, the deep gashes having done substantial damage.

“Nice job, Lance!”

The brunet glanced back at Shiro, grinning at the praise. “Okay, I think it’s time to get these guys away from our planet.”

The Lion pulled back from the fight under Lance’s guidance, fleeing into space. Unfortunately, the warship wasn’t ready to let them leave and followed steadily behind.

“Oh no!” Pidge exclaimed at the same time as Hunk shouted, “They’re gaining on us!”

Lance hummed thoughtfully. “It’s weird. They’re not trying to shoot us, they’re just chasing.”

“That’s better than them shooting at us I guess…?” Finn mumbled, still feeling pretty out of it.

“Okay, seriously, now we think having aliens follow us is good? I am not on board with this new direction, guys.”

Keith stared out of the cockpit’s window, the stars reflected in his violet eyes. “Where are we?”

“Edge of the solar system.” Shiro pointed at a moon in the distance. “There’s Kerberos.”

Finn blinked and he was running from the jagged ships, Matt beside him, purple hands and electricity, a dark cell, blood, blood on his hands–

Sharp pain in his head brought him back and he realised he was tugging at his hair and everyone had turned to stare at him in concern. Finn avoided their gaze and turned in on himself. He focused on all of the thoughts swirling around his brain, thoughts of everyone being hurt or captured, his hands trembling slightly at his sides, and pulled it all inwards, shoving it into a box in his mind to deal with later. There was no time to not be fine right now, he needed to focus, to make sure everything went okay. He let out a shaky breath, allowing himself that one last moment of panic, before his gaze hardened.

He spent the rest of the flight like that, cool and collected to the point of cold indifference. The conversation from the rest of the people in the Lion washed over him and he joined in every so often. Soon the Lion was jolting to a stop, making him stumble slightly at the landing. He followed everyone as they filed into the courtyard they’d landed in and stared up at the building in front of them. The design and sheer size was impressive but he was still too wound up to appreciate it properly.

“Wow,” he heard Keith mumble, and looked over to see the boys eyes shining.

Finn watched Shiro stand next to Keith and glance around, his shoulders tensed. “Keep your guard up.”

“Something wrong?”

“My crew was captured by aliens once. I’m not going to let it happen again.”

A mechanical clang sounded behind them and Finn turned to see the Blue Lion clambering to its feet. It’s mouth opened with a whir and it roared, the force of it blowing Finn’s hair back from his forehead. He turned back to the others and saw that the doors to the large building were opening, slowly swinging outwards. Empty darkness stared back at the group, seeming to suck the light from outside into the heavy black nothingness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always kudos and comments are appreciated :) next chapter will be out next week so until then i hope you all have a lovely week and take care of yourselves!
> 
> edit:  
> this is going on hiatus for a bit, i don't have any inspiration for this at the moment :) sorry everyone!


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